It didn’t have to be like this.
As late as Aug. 18, the Rockies were 68-54 and tied with Arizona for the National League’s top wild-card playoff spot. Hold serve at 14 games over, and the Rockies would surely qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2009.
Now, thanks largely to their incredible disappearing offense, the Rockies are locked in a nail-biting, three-way race for the NL’s final wild card entering the final week of the season. Entering Saturday night, the Rockies led the Brewers, who beat the Cubs on a walk-off home run earlier in the day, and the Cardinals, who played at Pittsburgh, by 1 1/2 games for the final wild card.